No one, not even the East Coast bias, can deny the national appeal of the Broncos.

In fact, according to the prime- time television schedule makers, no team has more appeal. Not the New York Giants. Not the Indianapolis Colts. Not the Chicago Bears.

An NFL provision says no team will play more than five prime- time games a season.

The Broncos likely will have six.

They just learned of No. 5 when NBC announced Monday it has employed its flex-scheduling powers by taking the Broncos’ game Nov. 19 against the San Diego Chargers away from CBS and moving the kickoff at Invesco Field at Mile High from 2:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.

“People just associate the Denver Broncos with always playing big games,” said Fred Gaudelli, producer of NBC Sports. “Winning and playing big games – that’s the national appeal of the Broncos. In this particular case, first place is at stake, and that’s what flex is all about.”

The Chargers follow the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders as the Broncos’ prime-time opponents, and precede the Thanksgiving night game at Kansas City that will be the first regular-season game carried by the NFL Network.

Although five prime-time games is the max, a sixth can be added if one is carried by the NFL Network. The Broncos are in line for No. 6 as their game Dec. 3 against Seattle at Invesco Field is tentatively on NBC’s Sunday night flex schedule.

That would mean five of the Broncos’ eight home games would be played before a prime- time audience. Top that, New York.

The flex schedule was ushered in this year by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who as chairman of the league’s broadcast committee felt the prime-time schedule needed tweaking after dud games on the “Monday Night Football” schedule in recent years.

By moving the league’s primary prime-time event to Sunday, the NFL and NBC could pick from the best of the games already scheduled for that day. Bowlen’s vision will become reality for his own two eyes against the Chargers, tied with the Broncos atop the AFC West with a 6-2 record.

Not that prime time isn’t without inconvenience. The Broncos had designated the Chargers game as alumni weekend. The team is flying in roughly 50 former players for the event, which means they will get another night in a Denver-area hotel, as they will fly out Monday morning instead of Sunday evening. Out-of-state fans might face a similar predicament.

As for the current Broncos, moving their Sunday afternoon game against the Chargers could crimp their preparation and recovery time as they play a mere four nights later on Thanksgiving against the Chiefs.

“Not really,” Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. “It’s not a far flight to Kansas City, only an hour and 10 minutes, so from a traveling standpoint it’s very easy. I just think when you play on prime time, it’s a compliment to your organization and it’s something the players enjoy.”

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

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